Hiruzen Sarutobi asked very directly, clearly not believing that Haruto Saito had truly destroyed the lost secret scrolls of the Hyuga clan.
"They're right here." Haruto raised his hand and tapped his head. "There were five scrolls in total, and I've memorized all of their contents."
Hiruzen stared intently at Haruto's face, as if trying to discern any deception. However, Haruto simply smiled without revealing the slightest flaw. Hiruzen soon withdrew his gaze. He had no intention of pressing Haruto further on this matter—whether the scrolls had been destroyed or merely memorized made no real difference to him.
Helping the Hyuga clan recover their lost techniques was not necessarily a good thing for him as the Hokage. He could not allow a single clan to grow too powerful and uncontrollable within Konoha. The current balance between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, both standing at the pinnacle of the village, was something he had carefully maintained.
"Since you've memorized them... never mention this to anyone, especially the Hyuga clan. Do you understand?" Hiruzen said, gazing into the distance with his hands behind his back.
"Understood!" Haruto nodded, though his eyes flickered slightly.
He truly could not guarantee that this secret would never be discovered. After all, he intended to learn those techniques. If he failed, it wouldn't be an issue, but if he succeeded, he would inevitably use them, and there was always a chance someone would notice.
"Have you considered contributing the techniques you obtained from the Meiji clan to Konoha?" Hiruzen asked. This was the true reason he had called Haruto here for a private conversation.
He had quickly reviewed the thirteen scrolls and found four S-rank techniques and nine A-rank techniques, seven of which were labeled as forbidden jutsu. Their value was extraordinary.
"Contribute?" Haruto was taken aback. He hadn't expected Hiruzen to be so direct, and the use of the word "contribute" was rather clever.
"Yes!" Hiruzen continued. "As I've told you before, it's not about the quantity of jutsu but the mastery of them. Even if you have an exceptional talent, learning all of these techniques would be extremely difficult. Furthermore, the Meiji clan's jutsu might not even suit you. You could simply record their contents or make a copy and then contribute the original scrolls to Konoha. This would strengthen the village, and I would select suitable individuals to train in these techniques.
"For you personally, this would also be a great merit!"
Hiruzen's argument was quite reasonable. After all, unlike money, jutsu scrolls were not unique possessions.
If Hiruzen had asked Haruto to donate money, that would have been outright shameless—if Haruto gave his wealth to Konoha, he would lose it. However, handing over jutsu scrolls was different. Even if he gave them to Konoha, he wouldn't actually lose them since he could memorize or copy them beforehand.
Haruto, however, caught the key detail in Hiruzen's words. After a brief pause, he smiled and asked, "Hokage-sama, when you say 'great merit,' does that mean there's a reward?"
"Hmph!" Hiruzen snorted and gave Haruto an exasperated look before replying, "Yes! There is a reward."
"What kind of reward?" Haruto asked.
"What do you want?" Hiruzen countered.
"Well..." Haruto hesitated, then asked, "Anything at all?"
"Of course not!" Hiruzen shot him a side glance. "But as long as your request is reasonable, I can grant it."
"Hmm…" Haruto was genuinely stumped.
It wasn't that he had no desires, but rather that he lacked for nothing at the moment. He wasn't concerned about status since he would soon become the Hokage's direct disciple. He wasn't lacking in jutsu, having already obtained the Flying Thunder God technique, and money was certainly not an issue.
He did want to learn the Reanimation Jutsu, but that was clearly an unreasonable request—there was no way he'd be allowed to.
"Hokage-sama!" An idea suddenly came to Haruto. He carefully chose his words. "Right now, I only have one small request. Compared to the value of these jutsu scrolls, it's a very minor request. So, I think that after I make this small request, I should still be able to ask for a bigger one later…"
"Don't push your luck!" Hiruzen said, frowning.
"It's really just a small request!" Haruto quickly added. "I won't even bring up the bigger one yet—I'll wait until I think of something worthwhile. This small request won't cost Konoha anything, won't require any effort, and won't cause any trouble."
Hiruzen took a deep breath. He realized that Haruto was quite the negotiator, unwilling to accept any loss and even daring to bargain with him. He hadn't encountered a ninja like this in a long time.
After exhaling slowly, Hiruzen said flatly, "Fine. What's this small request?"
"I want to take on a personal disciple," Haruto said quickly. "But he's still in the Academy, so I need the Hokage's special permission. For you, it's just a single word."
That was indeed a small request.
However, it was also a sensitive issue. Since Haruto was about to become Hiruzen's direct disciple, his own disciple would technically be the Hokage's 'grand-disciple.'
"You? Taking a disciple?" Hiruzen looked at Haruto in surprise, scanning him up and down. Haruto still looked like a kid himself, yet he wanted to take on a personal disciple—an unprecedented move. While Haruto's strength wasn't in question, his age was. He was simply too young!
Even Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had yet to take on direct disciples.
"Yes, a personal disciple!" Haruto said firmly. "It might seem strange, but… it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
It wasn't actually a problem—just highly unusual. There were no rules stating that a twelve-year-old ninja couldn't take on a personal disciple.
"Still in the Academy? Who is it?" Hiruzen asked with a frown.
"Minato Namikaze," Haruto replied.
"Him… Hmm…" Hiruzen murmured, deep in thought. He was well aware of Minato Namikaze. As Hokage, he kept track of every child in the Academy who was considered a prodigy.
"Why do you want him as your personal disciple?" Hiruzen asked again. "You're still young yourself. Training a disciple would distract you from your own growth. This wouldn't be beneficial for you."
"Hokage-sama, do you believe in my ability to foresee things?" Haruto began, making vague hand gestures.
"Hmm." Hiruzen acknowledged. After all, Haruto had found the Black Armor and the Meiji treasure through his so-called 'divinations.'
"I foresaw it," Haruto continued, completely making things up. "Minato and I will have a deep connection in the future. I also foresaw that he will soar to great heights, only to meet an early demise. I feel obligated to change his fate."
Hiruzen furrowed his brows, scrutinizing Haruto closely. He could tell that Haruto was simply making things up.
"Hokage-sama, is this really such a difficult request?" Haruto spread his hands. "It's just a small favor. One word from you, and I can take him as my disciple without waiting for his graduation. No problem, right?"
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